Ruffnut's Wish
by Cke1st
Summary: Ruffnut wishes on a wishbone, and her much-longed-for but utterly improbable wish begins to come true, as wonderful new teens start arriving on Berk out of nowhere! This makes some people ecstatically happy, and others... not so much. Rated T for a kiss and a bit of innuendo; there is no swearing. WAFF galore, with a little romantic suspense to make it interesting. Hiccstrid.
1. Chapter 1

**Ruffnut's Wish** Chapter 1 (Prologue)

A/N _Ruffnut wishes on a wishbone, and her much-longed-for but utterly improbable wish begins to come true, as wonderful new teens start arriving on Berk out of nowhere! This makes some people ecstatically happy, and others... not so much. Rated T for one good kiss and a minor bit of innuendo; there is no swearing. Fluff and WAFF galore, with a little romantic suspense to make it interesting. Hiccstrid._

_I wrote this as my own "response" to some comments the teens made in another story of mine, "The Fanfic Panel Discussion." It's purely for fun. The story takes place in seven days of Berk time, so I'll post one chapter a day, and you can follow the story "in real time."_

**o**

It was Mánadagr. (We would call it Monday.) Supper in the Mead Hall was just about over. Ruffnut and Tuffnut had shared a whole chicken, as usual, and there wasn't much left of it, as usual. They had a standing agreement – she got the left half and he got the right half. It cut down on the arguing and fighting while they were eating. That saved time for better-quality arguing and fighting later.

"Here's the wishbone!" Tuff exclaimed as he held it up. "Want to make a wish and pull it?"

"You're supposed to let it dry out first," she mumbled.

"Who wants to wait that long?" her brother said. "I want to make a wish right _now!_"

"Why should I bother?" Ruff sighed. "You always win, every single time. The stupid wishbones don't like me."

"You'll never win if you don't try," he persisted.

"Even if I did, what good is winning?" she protested. "I don't see you getting all those wishes come true."

"No?" he smirked. "Last week, I wished that Hiccup would sharpen my spear for free, and he did!"

"You just caught him in a generous mood with time on his hands," she sighed.

"And a month ago, I wished that I'd get away with that prank I played with your pillow and the dead squid, and Mom and Dad never caught me."

"_You_ did that to me? You are so _dead!_" She grabbed what was left of the chicken and prepared to heave it at his face. He pushed it back down onto the table with a grin.

"You see? Even _you_ didn't know about it! Wishes do come true, sometimes," he went on, hoping to distract his sister from her rage. "So come on! Make a wish and pull."

She sighed and nodded. He wouldn't let up until she gave in. What should she wish for?

Her mind went blank.

What would be a good wish? She looked around the Hall, hoping something would inspire her. All she saw was her other friends. Fishlegs looked lost in thought, Snotlout was trying to get Astrid's attention, and Astrid had eyes only for Hiccup. As he got up with his empty plate, he took her dirty dishes as well. She thanked him, smiled, and blew him a kiss, which made him almost as red as a real kiss would have done.

What _was_ it with those two? They seemed like such an unlikely couple sometimes... him with his un-Viking-like mildness and cleverness, her with her axe and spikes and punches in the arm... and yet they made each other so happy! Wouldn't it be nice...

Ruff nodded. She closed her eyes and made her wish. "Count to three," she told Tuff.

"One... two... thunder!" he exclaimed. "Fooled you! Okay, this time for real. One... two... _three!_" They pulled.

Ruff stared in astonishment. Her brother had wound up with the smaller portion of the wishbone. She'd won!

"Hey, that's cool; I'll win next time," he said. "What did you wish for?"

She shook her head. "It was stupid."

"Aww, come on! If you can't tell your own twin brother, who _can_ you tell?"

"Never mind," she said, shaking her head as she got up from the table. "It'll never happen anyway. I should have wished for a pet troll or something."

It would sure be nice if it _did_ happen. But some things are impossible, even for a wish made on a chicken's breastbone.

Right?


	2. Chapter 2

**Ruffnut's Wish** Chapter 2

It was Týsdagr. (We would call it Tuesday). One of the fishing boats had come back much earlier than usual. The rest of the fleet was still out at sea. Had something gone badly wrong? Stoick met the boat as it docked.

The little ship seemed to be in good shape; there was no visible damage. The only unusual feature was the looks of utter fury on the faces of the captain and crew. Those looks were directed at a good-looking young man and woman with matching goat-horn helmets who stood by themselves in the bow.

As soon as the ship was tied up to the docks, the captain exploded. "Get off my ship, _now,_ and don't _ever_ come back! If it wasn't for the law of the sea, I'd have thrown you back to the fish!" The boy and girl shrugged and stepped over the gunwales onto the dock.

"What's wrong, Captain?" Stoick asked.

"I don't have enough words to tell you what's wrong!" the grizzled old sailor retorted. "We fished these two out of the drink; they said their boat sank, and there was enough flotsam around to make me believe it."

The chief turned to the young man. "Your boat sank?"

"It sprang a leak and we couldn't bail fast enough," he answered. "It went down right under our feet."

"I don't recognize you. What were you doing, sailing a small boat in unfamiliar waters like these?" A small crowd was beginning to gather on the docks and the nearby cliffs to overhear the exchange.

"My sister and I were sailing to Eire, looking for spouses."

"To _EIRE?_" Stoick burst out. "In a small boat? That's hundreds of miles away, across the North Sea! You're _insane!_"

"Yeah, we hear that a lot," the girl said. "We're used to it."

"It's the truth!" the captain went on. "No sooner did we get them aboard than they discovered our deck was slippery from water and fish slime. So they started sliding up and down the deck, trying to get from stem to sternpost in one slide! And when they got bored with that, they each started sliding from opposite ends, trying to crash into each other! I can't sail a ship with that kind of nonsense going on, and I certainly can't manage my nets. I brought them back so my crew wouldn't kill them, and if I had my way, they'd have to pay me for making me miss a day's catch!"

"Is this true?" Stoick demanded of the young people.

"We were just having a little fun," the boy replied.

"What are your names, and where are you from?" he scowled.

"I'm Cu Chulainn, and my sister's name is Ferncookie. We're from Kelso Island, to the east of here."

"Your name is Cu Chulainn?" the chief scoffed. "I have to admit, you don't look the part."

"Well, my real name is Flinrider, but no one ever takes _that_ name seriously," he said sheepishly. "I had to do _something_ to get a fake reputation."

Stoick shook his head. "If you're really shipwrecked, then we can't turn you away. But you have to behave better on land than you did on that ship, or... or I shall be very put out. Do I make myself clear, young man, young lady?"

"Clear as crystal, sir," he replied, and she nodded.

"Where are your parents?" the chief asked.

"Mom died of a fever years ago, and Dad was killed on a raid," Ferncookie answered. "We've been on our own ever since, so we've learned to look out for each other."

"You're twins, I assume?"

"No, I'm two years older," Flinrider said. "Everyone makes that assumption. Sometimes we tell people we're twins if we see an advantage to it, but I'm feeling like we ought to be honest with you."

"A wise decision," he nodded. "For now, I'm going to hand you over to the other young people of this island, until I figure out what to do with you. They're all on that cliff up there, desperately trying to overhear what we're saying. Remember, _behave!_" He stalked away; he had too many things to do to let himself get distracted by minor emergencies like this.

"Thank you for the ride, Captain," Ferncookie said to the ship's captain as they left the docks. The captain was still spitting mad, and didn't answer.

They walked up the ramps to the town's ground level. The chief had just finished explaining things to the teens, and left as the new duo drew near. The six of them spread out, eager to meet someone their own age.

"Hi, I'm Hiccup," said the leader, a thin young man with an artificial leg. "Welcome to Berk. It sounds like you guys made quite an entrance."

"That's nothing compared to some of the stuff we've pulled," Flinrider muttered.

"I'm Astrid," said a pretty blonde in partial armor. "Berk is a nice place, if you follow the rules."

"Maybe we came to the wrong place," Ferncookie said quietly.

"I'm Fishlegs, and I'm pleased to meet you," said a husky boy.

"I am Snotlout son of Spitelout, and I'm the real Viking around here," said a muscular young man.

Ruff and Tuff were just staring at them.

"Uhhh, guys, do you want to introduce yourselves?" Hiccup asked.

The newcomers made eye contact with the twins, and suddenly their faces took on the same expression of astonished disbelief.

"Okay, that's Ruffnut, and that's Tuffnut," Hiccup said. "You guys don't know each other, do you?"

"We've... never... met," Ferncookie said slowly. Her brother nodded, as did Ruff and Tuff.

"Is something wrong?" Astrid asked. These four were acting weird!

"I know we've never met," Flinrider said to Ruff, "but somehow, I feel like I know you."

"Same here," she managed to say.

"Yeah," echoed Tuffnut and Ferncookie.

"What do you guys do for fun around here?" Flinrider asked.

"Oh... we ride dragons," Ruff said.

The newcomers glanced at each other, then back at the twins. "Did I just hear you say you ride _dragons?_" Ferncookie wondered.

"Yeah," Tuff replied. "The two of us ride a two-headed Zippleback. He's awesome."

Flinrider and Ferncookie turned and chorused, "We came to the right place!" They exchanged a quick head-butt. That made Ruff and Tuff do a quick head-butt as well. They all looked at each other... and Ferncookie butted Tuff. Ruff butted Flinrider, not wanting to be left out.

Astrid turned to Hiccup. "It's like they're all peas from the same pod! I've never seen anything like this."

"It looks like love at first sight to me," Fishlegs sighed. "How romantic!"

Ruffnut spun to face him. "_What_ did you say?"

Fishlegs went pale. "I... I... it was nothing personal, it's none of my business, and if I ever say it again, I'm sorry in advance..."

"_What_ did you _say?_" she demanded again.

"I... I said it looked like... love at first sight."

The twins and the newcomers glanced at each other, and they all nodded. Ruff wore an expression of pure amazement.

"It's my _wish!_" she burst out.

"Your _what?_" everyone else asked at once.

"Yesterday at supper, I pulled a wishbone with my brother, and I won, for the first time ever! My wish is really coming true! I can't believe it!"

"Ruff, _what_ was your _wish?_" her brother demanded.

"Well, I saw Hiccup and Astrid together, and I was thinking about how happy you two are, and... well, I wished that all of us would find our perfect match before the week was over."

"I don't know about wishes and wishbones," Flinrider shrugged, "but I know a pretty lady when I see one. I don't suppose you could take me for a ride on this dragon of yours?"

"And me!" Ferncookie exclaimed to Tuffnut. His usual hard expression was beginning to soften.

"Follow us!" he said. The four of them trotted away toward the Dragon Training Academy, where Barf and Belch were probably napping.

"Could it be a coincidence?" Hiccup asked the remaining three.

"It has to be luck," Astrid decided.

"What are the chances of another brother-sister pair who are our age and stark raving crazy, just showing up near Berk the day after she pulled the wishbone?" Fishlegs wondered.

"I'll believe it when my dream girl shows up," Snotlout announced, then leered at Astrid. "Of course, my dream girl has been living here all my life; she's just being difficult."

"I was never your dream," she shot back. "You want a girl who worships the ground you walk on, with long wavy hair and a perfect nose and... a lot more developed than I am."

"Ahhh! She knows me too well," he sighed. "But, after all, I _am_ the best, so why shouldn't I _want_ the breast? _Best!_ I meant best! I – OWWW!" She kicked him in the shin and stormed away, leaving him hopping up and down in pain.

"If Ruff's wish comes true, then that means _I'll_ find a girl friend this week!" Fishlegs burst out. "That would be so awesome!"

"Don't hold your breath, Legs," Hiccup advised him. "Wishing on wishbones is an old myth. Chicken bones don't have the magical power to make wishes come true."

"We've seen some strange things," Fishlegs replied. "I can't hold my breath for a week, but it might be interesting to see what happens in the next few days."

"Hey, I'll make you a bet!" Lout exclaimed. He was still limping. "I'll bet you a silver mark I find my perfect girl before you find yours!"

"But if we _both_ don't find one, all bets are off?" Legs suggested.

"Deal," Lout nodded. He clasped hands with Fishlegs; then he turned to Hiccup.

"What do you think, cousin? If you're so sure it's just a coincidence, maybe you'd like to make a little wager, too?"

Hiccup glanced upwards. Barf and Belch were spinning through the sky, with two riders on each neck. The newcomers were shouting and shrieking in obvious joy. He could easily envision the smiles on the twins' faces as their guests clung to them for dear life.

"No bets," he decided. "Legs is right. We've seen too many weird things happen. I'll watch from the sidelines and see how this all plays out."


	3. Chapter 3

**Ruffnut's Wish** Chapter 3

It was Óðinsdagr. (We would call it Wednesday). The teens were taking their morning flight on their dragons, with Flinrider and Ferncookie as happy passengers on the Zippleback. They kept encouraging Ruff and Tuff to try ever-crazier stunts, which set the other teens' nerves on edge even more than Ruff and Tuff's usual insanity.

Astrid slid Stormfly sideways so she could talk to Hiccup without shouting. "Those four are going to give me a heart attack if they swoop any closer to the ground! The way they all think alike, they're like a human Snaptrapper!"

"You realize they might be here for keeps?" Hiccup asked.

"You're not serious! Are you?" she replied.

"I think they're getting serious about each other," he said. "It's the first time Ruff and Tuff have ever met people just like they are. The visitors don't have anyplace else to go, and they're just as happy with Ruff and Tuff as our friends are with _them_. Maybe they _need_ to find a Snaptrapper so they can all ride together."

"Are you saying... they might get married?" Astrid couldn't believe it.

"Why not? They obviously make two good couples, and it's no secret that the Thorstons can't wait to get the twins out of the house. I think it could happen."

"Berk can barely handle two of them!" she sputtered. "We may not survive four!"

"Or maybe they'll occupy each other so the rest of us can live in peace," he suggested.

Fishlegs had been listening quietly; now he had Meatlug close the distance so he could join the conversation. "Ooh! I know what to call them! TuffCookie and RuffRider!"

Hiccup did a facepalm. "Fishlegs, sometimes –"

He was interrupted by a distant female scream. Everyone looked around frantically. Astrid was the first to see her. "Over to the left! Somebody catch her!"

All the dragons broke left and dove. Their target was a girl who was plummeting out of the sky; there was no time to ask why or how. Stormfly got there first, but she misjudged the girl's falling speed and came in too high. Hookfang almost did the same thing, but Snotlout reached out and caught the falling girl by her wrist. The dragon sagged in mid-air as he took the force of her plunge, strained, and swung her up onto Hookfang's neck right behind him.

Hiccup heaved a sigh of relief. "Nice work, Lout! Today, you're the hero!"

Snotlout didn't notice. He was trying to get a look at the girl behind him, who was clinging onto him as though she might fall again. "Thank you... thank you..." she gasped.

"So... do you come here often?" he asked.

"Where is 'here'?" she wondered.

"We're from the island of Berk," he answered.

"Berk? Then I'm a long way from home!" she exclaimed.

Hiccup maneuvered Toothless close enough to talk. "If you don't mind my asking, how did you wind up falling out of the sky?"

"I think I made a witch angry at me," she answered. "She sold me a potion that was supposed to make me taller, it didn't work, and I asked for my money back or I'd tell everyone she was a fake. She called me a liar, wiggled her hands and said some strange words, and the next thing I knew, I was falling."

She turned her attention to Snotlout. "You saved my life, whoever you are! Thank you!"

He grinned. "I'm Snotlout, and I'm the real Viking around here."

She reached forward and felt his biceps. "I guess you are! My name is Misti. Misti Reese."

Astrid grimaced. "You're kidding, right? We caught a 'Misti Reese' girl falling out of the sky? Please tell me this isn't going to be one of _those_ stories!"

Snotlout was oblivious. When she'd reached forward, he'd gotten a look at her. She was short and slightly plump; she had long, thick, wavy blonde hair, a beautiful face with violet eyes and a perfect nose, and... when she pressed against him, he could tell she had two other features that he really liked in a girl.

"So, uhh, Misti, how do you like my dragon?" he began.

She took her first look at the creature she was riding. "Oh, my gosh, it's _huge!_"

"Yup," he smiled. "He's a Monstrous Nightmare, the biggest, baddest dragon there is. His name is Hookfang."

"And you can control him? Wow." She gave him another hug. "You are _awesome!_"

He was having trouble controlling the silly grin that was creeping across his face. "Yeah, I guess I am. I'm glad you noticed. So, when we get back to land, how about I give you the guided tour of Berk?"

"I'd like that," she whispered, without letting go of him. "A lot."

Astrid was looking very distressed at all this. Hiccup slid Toothless over to her. "Tell me this isn't happening," she begged him. "Please tell me Snotlout didn't just find the perfect girl friend!"

"It's sure starting to look that way," he said.

"His I-told-you-so attitude is going to be insufferable," she sighed.

"Or maybe she'll keep him so distracted, he'll forget that we even exist," he suggested. He pointed up to where the twins and their sweethearts were doing barrel rolls on Barf and Belch. "Like them."

He raised his voice so all the riders could hear him. "We all just had a good scare, so let's head for home."

"Would it be okay if I took Misti for a ride?" Snotlout called back. "She's never ridden a dragon before."

"I guess I should have seen that coming," Hiccup said, too quietly for anyone but Astrid to hear. Out loud, he called, "Sure. You know the way home. We'll see you when you get there." Toothless, Stormfly, and Meatlug peeled off and returned to the Dragon Training Academy.

As soon as they landed, Astrid rushed over to Hiccup. "Okay, I am completely convinced about Ruffnut and her wish. There is _no way_ this could be a coincidence! _No way!_"

"I admit, the whole 'coincidence' theory is looking a little weak," he nodded reluctantly. "But it's still not completely impossible."

"Hiccup, you can't be serious! A perfectly-proportioned ditzy blonde just _happens_ to fall out of the sky, right where Snotlout can catch her? On top of yesterday's wild and crazy visitors, who have stolen the hearts of Ruff and Tuff? What's it going to take before you believe?"

Hiccup glanced at Fishlegs, who had just dismounted and joined them. He was very agitated, in a happy way.

"Do you know what this means?" he gushed. "Tomorrow could be the day I find _my_ perfect girl!"

"Legs... how can I say this without sounding discouraging?" Hiccup turned back to Astrid. "If that happens, _then_ I'll believe."

Fishlegs had rushed back to Meatlug and hugged her. "Old girl, if I _do_ meet the perfect girl friend tomorrow, please don't be jealous, okay? You'll always be the only dragon for me." The Gronckle rumbled; she seemed puzzled.

Astrid whispered in Hiccup's ear, "If he _doesn't_ find her, he's going to be heartbroken!"

"I guess that's a good reason to hope he _does_ find her," he whispered back.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ruffnut's Wish** Chapter 4

It was Þórsdagr. (We would call it Thursday). Fishlegs was up at the crack of dawn, full of high hopes and expectations that today would be the day he'd finally find a girl who liked him.

On the one hand, he was not what most girls would call their dream come true. On the other hand, there was Ruffnut's wish, which had already made three of his friends ecstatically happy (and their new love-interests were pretty happy about it, too).

He was all over the town, looking out to sea for approaching ships, asking the chief if any new visitors had arrived, and generally making a thorough pest of himself. Several Vikings were heard to mutter, "Here he comes again!" as he dashed from one likely girl-finding spot to another.

At one point, he passed Snotlout, with Misti clinging to his arm. "Remember, if you find your girl, you owe me a mark!" he called.

"Believe me, Snotlout, losing a bet would never make me happier!" Fishlegs called back.

"What was that about?" Misti wondered. Lout explained the wish and the wager; she giggled. "You're so clever, to think of things like that!"

"And you have great taste in men," he responded. She just cuddled up against him and smiled. This was even better than the day he'd tricked Hiccup into using poison-ivy leaves as a sunburn treatment!

After lunch, Fishlegs seemed to be visibly wilting. Hiccup caught up with him.

"Are you giving up, big guy?"

"I don't understand it," he said sadly. "Both yesterday and the day before, the new kids came here in the morning. I haven't seen my girl yet. Maybe I was wrong."

"Or maybe you're still looking in the wrong place," Hiccup replied.

"But I've looked everywhere!" Legs protested. "I've turned the town upside down, I've visited the docks every hour... where else could she be?"

"Fishlegs, you're not thinking clearly," Hiccup smiled. "When amazing teens visit our island, what are the three ways they usually get here?"

Legs counted on his fingers. "Well, they fall out of the sky, or they come in by being shipwrecked, or –" His face suddenly lit up. "_The forest!_ They get found in the forest! Thanks, Hiccup – you're a true friend!" He shook Hiccup's hand vigorously, nearly lifting him off the ground, then raced for the path that led into the woods, calling, "Hello, pretty lady! Where are you?"

"I hope you didn't get his hopes up for nothing," Astrid warned him.

"I thought _you_ were the one who was convinced that Ruff's wish was really going to work." He grimaced as he massaged his arm.

"We'll see," she said doubtfully.

They glanced into the Mead Hall, where Ruffnut and Ferncookie were sitting at one table, and Tuffnut and Flinrider at another. They were taking part in one of the twins' most important rituals, which they called The Screaming. They used to call it The Screening, but Ruff mispronounced it once by accident, and they decided that her version was funnier.

All they were doing was screening each other's potential boyfriend or girlfriend to see if he or she was good enough, according to their own standards. When their parents met a potential suitor, they only cared about boring stuff, like whether the candidate was polite and could work for a living. Those were no indicators of future happiness! So they'd made up their own list of questions, to filter out the bland suitors and leave only the properly crazy ones. They didn't think it was a hard test, but no one had ever passed it. Until today.

"Okay, next question," Ruff said to Ferncookie. "When is it okay to play a prank on someone?"

"When it's funny," Ferncookie responded with no hesitation.

"What if the person you're pranking doesn't think it's funny?" Ruff went on.

"What does _that_ have to do with anything?" Ferncookie sounded honestly perplexed.

"Wow. You're five for five! Next question: if you want to try something really crazy, and you know the chief won't approve, what do you do?"

"That's easy," Ferncookie replied. "Make sure the chief doesn't find out about it."

"What if the chief's son tags along with you?"

Ferncookie thought for a moment. "If you can't ditch him, then make sure you can blackmail him into keeping his mouth shut."

"You're good," Ruff said with obvious approval. "Even if you and my brother don't get together, I think you and I should be friends." They both spat in their hands and shook on it.

At the other table, Tuffnut was getting similar results. "Okay, if you were married to my sister, when would it be okay to whack her in the head?"

Flinrider looked puzzled. "You mean there's a time when it's _not_ okay?"

"Dude, you're awesome," Tuff smiled. "All right, last question. This one's for extra credit. What would be the most fun thing for you – to jump off a cliff, to ride a dragon, or to get jiggy with a pretty girl?"

Flinrider thought for a few seconds. "I think the most fun thing would be for me and the pretty girl to jump off the cliff together, have the dragon catch us in mid-air, and get jiggy while we're riding the dragon."

Tuffnut stared, then gave him a high-five. "I never even thought of that! That's _beyond_ awesome! You're the first guy I've ever met who could keep my sister happy." He glanced at the other table, where Ruff was giving him a double-thumbs-up sign. "It looks like _your_ sister passed The Screaming, too." They rose from their benches, took three steps toward each other... and ran the other four steps, ending with a four-way head-butt that left all of them wincing and grinning foolishly.

They spent the rest of the afternoon playing Horseless Joust, a game that Ruff and Tuff had made up years ago, but never played because they couldn't find any willing opponents. The boys would rush at each other, while the girls rode on their shoulders with shields and blunted spears, trying to knock each other off, with bonus points if a boy went down as well. Every few rounds, they would switch from boyfriend/girlfriend pairs to sibling pairs, just to make it interesting.

They were all over the town, darting in and out between buildings, laughing and trying to bowl each other over. The town was glad that Fishlegs was no longer running around driving them crazy, but this was hardly an improvement.

Meanwhile, Snotlout was sitting on the edge of the cliffs, telling Misti all about his role in training the town's dragons and killing the Red Death. The other teens of Berk might have taken issue with some of his facts, but Misti just sat next to him and gazed at him rapturously. She never had any idea that such a wonderful man could even exist, and here he was!

As the supper hour drew near, there was still no sign of Fishlegs. "Maybe we ought to go look for him," Astrid suggested to Hiccup.

"Do you think he's hurt?"

"I doubt it," she said, "but he's probably so busy searching every cave and hollow log for his dream girl, he's forgotten that the sun is going down soon. Those woods aren't the best place to spend the night." Hiccup nodded, and they set off into the forest.

They spread out, but stayed within earshot of each other. It took them about twenty minutes to find Fishlegs. He was headed out of the woods, walking slowly.

But he wasn't alone.

Walking _very_ close beside him was a girl who nearly matched him in height, but was of average build. She was moderately pretty, with shoulder-length wavy brown hair, striking blue eyes, and a serious expression; she held a bunch of wild herbs in one hand. She and Fishlegs were deep in conversation, and didn't notice Hiccup or Astrid at first.

"...but the Whispering Death is the ultimate spine-shooting fighter," she was saying. "It can shoot its spines from all over its body, and it's one of the scariest-looking dragons, too."

"True," Fishlegs nodded, "but it's only a threat at night or in its tunnels. It can't see well to attack in daylight. The Deadly Nadder can shoot spines 24/7 in all weather, plus its spines are poisonous. I think we should give the Nadders a Spine Attack of 9, and the Whispering Death only a 6."

"Make it a 7," the girl responded. "We can't – oh! Hello," she exclaimed as she caught sight of Astrid, then Hiccup.

"Oh, hi there," Fishlegs grinned. "We were just making up rules for a game about dragons. Guys, this is Anitra. Anitra, this is Hiccup and Astrid; they're the ones I was telling you about."

"You're the dragon trainer?" she asked, suddenly excited.

"Actually, we're all dragon trainers," Hiccup said.

"But you started it, according to Fishlegs."

"Well, yeah, I did that, but I couldn't have done it without a lot of help from people like Astrid and Fishlegs. Anitra, it's nice to meet you. May I ask how you wound up in the forest here?"

She nodded. "I was sailing home with a bunch of friends from a wedding, when pirates attacked our ship and took us prisoner. When I saw that we were passing close to an island, I jumped ship and swam to shore. That was last night; I've been looking for civilization ever since." She nudged Fishlegs with her elbow. "But civilization found me first."

"She comes from a family of dragon-fighters, but she always wanted to learn more about them, instead of killing them," Fishlegs explained. "She's one of the greatest experts on dragons in the Northland!"

"And we just _happened_ to bump into each other," she smiled. "Most Viking men just want to kill dragons, not learn more about them. You guys actually made _friends_ with them – and my new guy is the Keeper of the Book!"

Fishlegs looked very happy and slightly awestruck. "If you guys came out here to remind me about Snotlout's wager, tell him I'll gladly pay him tomorrow."

"Actually, we came out here to remind you, the sun will be going down soon."

"Oh, yeah – I lost track of time!" Fishlegs burst out. "We better head back to the village for some supper."

"But you promised me a ride on a Gronckle before the day was over!" Anitra protested.

"We could go flying by moonlight," he suggested.

She kissed him on the cheek, which turned him scarlet. "What a romantic idea! Count me in." They walked back toward Berk together, hand in hand, talking about Gronckles, again oblivious to Hiccup and Astrid.

Astrid gave Hiccup a smile. "_Now_ do you believe in wishbone wishes?"

Hiccup glanced up the trail where Fishlegs and his new girlfriend had gone. "It's hard to argue with all this evidence. But if Ruff's wish is real, then I've got one big worry."

"What's left to worry about?" she wondered. "Everybody is happily paired off now."

He looked at her seriously. "What if that wish brings somebody to the island for you or me?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Ruffnut's Wish** Chapter 5

It was Frjádagr. (We would call it Friday). It was a Frjádagr like Berk had never seen before. No less than four of their teens were approaching their parents about marriage, to people they'd known for less than a week.

For Ruffnut and Tuffnut, it was a slam-dunk. As Hiccup had mentioned, their parents were quite willing, if not actually eager, to get them out of the house. Flinrider turned out to be a talented leather-worker, as well as a fairly skilled warrior, so there was no question whether he could support Ruff and a family. Ferncookie was embarrassed to admit it, due to her name, but she was a good cook, and the Mead Hall always needed cooks, so she, too, could find a role in Berk. They didn't need to seek their parents' approval because they had no living parents. So it all came down to the Thorstons' willingness to marry their children off to strangers who owned nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Like Ruff and Tuff, their parents knew a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when they saw one. They talked it over privately, for about a minute and a half, and gave both couples their blessing.

Snotlout's suit for Misti's hand wasn't so clear-cut. For one thing, she had parents, but it would take eight or nine days' sailing each way to bring the two families together to work out a marriage contract. For another thing, it bothered Spitelout that his potential daughter-in-law had no warrior skills to speak of. She was fairly good at throwing a dagger, but she couldn't handle anything bigger, and she'd never taken any training in hand-to-hand combat, ship boarding, or anything else useful.

"Our family has produced the best warriors in Berk for generations!" Spitelout growled at his son. "We've been among the finest dragon-fighters, the finest raiders, the finest Thawfest Games contestants, year after year! Now you want to water down our bloodline by marrying a girl who's good for nothing except being a wife?"

Snotlout hadn't dared to disagree with his father since he was very small, but he looked at Misti and saw someone worth fighting for. "But, Dad, a wife is all I'm looking for! It's okay if she isn't a warrior – I've got the 'warrior' thing down well enough for the both of us, don't I?"

He glanced at Misti, who was fascinated by the row of Thawfest medals hanging from a peg on the wall. "Did you win all these, Snotlout?" she asked.

"Uhh, no, just the ones on the end. The other ones are from my dad and my uncles."

"Wow," she sighed. "You come from quite an amazing family!"

Spitelout softened his manner somewhat. "I'll talk it over with your mother," he grumbled. He could guess what his wife would say. He suspected he'd soon have to pack for a sailing trip of eight or nine days.

In the Ingerman household, the discussion was similar, but it went in the opposite direction. Anitra came from a long line of raiders and dragon fighters, and Fishlegs' parents were worried that she'd dominate the relationship and make their son miserable.

"Oh, _please_ don't worry about that!" Anitra exclaimed. "I'm a traditional Viking girl through and through. I firmly believe the man ought to be in charge."

"What are your skills and talents?" his father asked.

"I'm an herbalist in training," she replied. "I'm about a year away from being ready to treat people without consulting an expert first."

"I thought she could finish her training with Gothi," Fishlegs interjected. "Gothi isn't getting any younger, and she's never chosen an apprentice. Anitra could be just what Berk needs."

His mother nodded. "If you don't mind my asking, are your eyes green?"

"Yes, ma'am, they probably are."

"Probably? I could have sworn they were blue when we first met."

"They most likely were," Anitra nodded. "They change color from time to time."

"They do?" Fishlegs gasped. "That's awesome!"

"You like it?" she wondered. "It freaks some people out."

Fishlegs' father looked at his wife, and they both nodded. "Anitra, we'll have to talk to your parents to make an actual engagement, but as far as we're concerned, it's a match." Fishlegs and Anitra hugged in delight.

While all these joyous arrangements were being made, Hiccup and Astrid were sitting in a corner of the Mead Hall, discussing their fears.

"Do we really have anything to worry about?" she asked. "I mean, we're already happy with each other, aren't we?"

"I know _I_ am," he nodded, "but Ruff's wish wasn't about 'happy.' It was about 'perfect,' and I know I'm not perfect."

"Nobody's perfect, Hiccup! I'm sure even our friends' marvelous new fiancées have some little habits that will drive Ruff and company crazy in small ways."

"I know," he nodded glumly, "but that won't be very reassuring if a perfect guy sails into the harbor tonight, looking for the pretty girl with the shoulder armor. What would you do if that happened?"

"What do you want me to say, Hiccup? What would you expect me to do?"

"Logically, you'd be crazy to give up a guy who's perfect so you can hang onto a guy who's just adequate," he sighed. "I wouldn't _want_ you to be logical in that case, but... forgive me, but the idea makes me nervous."

"Well, what if a perfect girl sails into the harbor and asks for _you?_" she countered. "What would _you_ do?"

"You've got no worries," he scoffed. "She'd take one look at me, say 'Oops, wrong island,' and head right back out to sea again."

"Hiccup, you're not that bad!"

"Maybe not, but I'm far from perfect, too," he replied, a bit sadly.

"What's your standard of perfection?" she demanded. "For instance, how am I not perfect for you?"

"Well... since you asked, I wish you wouldn't hit me so much. I could definitely live without the violence."

"I've told you before," she said patiently, "it's _not_ violence, it's communication."

"Does your mother 'communicate' with your father that way?" he asked.

"She wouldn't dare! Most of the time, she doesn't have to."

"Doesn't that tell you something?" he inquired.

"It tells me that you're nothing like my dad, and I'm nothing like my mother," she said.

"It tells _me_ that people can communicate without hitting each other," he retorted.

"So if a pretty girl sails into the harbor and says she'll never hit you, I should worry?" she asked.

"I'd rather _you_ ease up on the violence, so you'd be perfect for me, and that imaginary girl would have nothing to offer me. Wouldn't that be good for both of us?" Hiccup was almost pleading.

Astrid wasn't paying attention. Her eyes were riveted on the harbor entrance. A ship from some other island was approaching Berk.

"I don't know if I _want_ to find out who's on that ship," she finally said.

"What are you more afraid of?" Hiccup asked. "That it's a perfect girl for me, or that it's a perfect guy for you?"

"I really don't expect either one," she said, but she didn't sound very sure of herself.

"Me neither," he nodded. "So let's go greet whoever-it-is together, shall we? I'm sure my dad is busy, and _somebody_ ought to meet them when they arrive."

She nodded reluctantly, and they walked down to the docks, side by side.

The ship was maneuvering for the inner docks, which meant it carried more cargo than passengers. In fact, only one passenger got off.

Astrid's face showed disbelief, which turned into shock, which morphed into rage for a moment before it finally settled on horror. She screamed one word – "_NO__!_" – and turned and ran back up the ramps without another word. It looked to Hiccup like she might be very close to tears. That was something he'd never seen, and he didn't like it.

He turned back to the one passenger. "Uhh... it's nice to see you again, Heather."

"I'm glad to see you, too, Hiccup. What's with Astrid? She acts like she just saw a ___draugr__. _I might not be the prettiest girl in the Northland, but come on!"

"She probably thinks she just saw her own replacement," Hiccup began.

"Huh? How would _that_ work?"

"How about you explain what you're doing here again, and then I'll take a stab at explaining some of the personal stuff?" he asked.

"Sure," she nodded. "My home island of Fedje is looking for new trading partners. Because my parents and I have already been to Berk, you're on our short list of possible customers. I got chosen to make the first contact because I know the most people here, including the son of the chief. The ship is full of samples of the kinds of things we'd like to trade, and I have a written list of the things we want in return. Could you take me to your leader?"

"Sure, if I can find him," Hiccup agreed. "He could be anywhere in Berk at this time of day. Let's go for a walk and see if anyone has seen him lately." She nodded and walked up the ramps beside him.

"You were saying, Astrid thinks I'm her replacement?"

"Okay, this is totally crazy, but here's the story. Ruffnut broke a wishbone with her brother the other day and won, and apparently, she wished that all the teens on the island would find their perfect matches within a week."

"So Astrid thinks I'm your perfect match?" Heather giggled. "How does she know I'm not Snotlout's perfect match, or Fishlegs', or Tuffnut's?"

"Because all three of them have already _found_ their perfect match this week. So has Ruffnut." Heather's jaw dropped; Hiccup went on. "Astrid and I are the only teens on the island who haven't had an impossibly perfect stranger appear out of nowhere and fall in love with us this week. I thought she and I were a pretty good match, but she wasn't sure because of the wish, and when she saw you appear unannounced on the docks, she assumed the worst. Kind of silly, when you think about it, right?" He chuckled.

"Well, I don't know," Heather said thoughtfully. "You're the future chief of this village, you ride a Night Fury, you're kind and considerate and clever, I know you'd never beat me... My father says it's time I found a husband, and I could do a lot worse than you."

"Uhh... uhh... you're not serious, right?" he stammered. He considered her expression. "You're serious."

"Think it over, Hiccup," she purred. "You're about the right age to find a wife, aren't you? Chief's sons can't marry for love; they marry to forge alliances, especially with other tribes on other islands. _I'm_ from another island. Maybe we could start a trading agreement and a marriage agreement at the same time, hmmm?" She batted her eyes at him.

"Uhhh... oh, there's my dad!" Hiccup exclaimed. "He just went into the Mead Hall!"

"I saw him," Heather nodded as she trotted off to find Stoick. "I'll catch up with you later! But think it over, Hiccup. You could do worse than a wife who's smart, pretty, quick-thinking... I'll have a nice dowry soon, if this trade agreement works... and I'd never hit you like Astrid does."

An axe between the eyes couldn't have stopped Hiccup in his tracks more abruptly than that last remark.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ruffnut's Wish** Chapter 6

It was Laugardagr (we would call it Saturday), and Hiccup was confused. Heather was pursuing him as eagerly as she was pursuing a trade agreement for her home village, and she wasn't being a bit shy about either one. He had no feelings for her at all, but he couldn't deny that she had many attributes of a good wife, especially the no-hitting part. Ruffnut's wish was preying on his mind as well. Could Heather be the one?

He took a long ride on Toothless, and used the time to think it over. He didn't find any answers in the clouds for his problems, but he was a lot less stressed about them... until the moment he landed again, and found the problems still waiting for him.

He needed to talk to Astrid about this, even though he had a feeling she didn't want to talk about it. He found her sitting alone in the Mead Hall, poking at her lunch.

"What do you want me to say?" she said miserably, refusing to make eye contact. "If she's the perfect girl for you, then go after her. I can't compete with perfection."

"Since when did you give up competing at all?" he demanded. "Who are you, and what have you done with the Astrid I know?"

"Hiccup, I can't fight Ruffnut's wish! My axe won't do me any good against it."

"Astrid, do you remember what a fool I made of myself the first time Heather came to this island?"

That got her attention. "I still don't understand why you listened to a stranger and not to me."

"Well, I'm listening to _you_ now," he said. "Give me a good reason why she's bad for me. I _want_ you to talk me out of following where she's leading."

"Fine," she said. "Don't go after her. How's that?"

"It's kind of tame, coming from you," he observed. "I was expecting something more along the lines of 'Don't go after her or I'll beat you senseless'."

"Somehow, I don't think getting violent is going to help me in _this_ situation," she sighed.

"You've got to do _something!_" he exclaimed. "Don't make me fight this battle alone! She's right about how chief's sons usually get married off to girls from other tribes. I've heard that she told my dad he needs to match me up with her as a condition for the trade agreement!"

"I wouldn't put that past her," Astrid nodded glumly. "She has a history of being manipulative and ruthless when she wants something."

Hiccup was about to answer when Heather stuck her head into the Mead Hall doorway. "Oh, Hiccup, dearest! Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Dearest?" Astrid grimaced.

"It's not my idea, believe me," he scowled. "This won't take long, I promise."

"It doesn't really matter," she sighed. "I can fight dragons, I can fight Viking warriors, but I can't fight a chicken's breastbone."

Hiccup joined Heather outside. He was surprised to find his father waiting there as well.

"Let's all go for a little walk, son," his father said. Under the circumstances, Hiccup would rather be flogged with eels, but he couldn't say 'no' to his dad.

"I've been negotiating with Heather on several subjects," he began. "It looks like Fedje will make a good trading partner for us."

"That's good news," Hiccup said.

"It also looks like Heather would make a good partner for you, don't you think?"

"I... uhh... I don't know, Dad. I mean, she's pretty and she's nice, but... I don't know her that well."

"You could get to know her after the wedding, like most Vikings do," his father said. "I won't force you against your will, but what do you think?"

"Well..." Hiccup tried to think of some way to stall for time. "What do her parents think of this?"

"They don't know, of course. I thought I'd send you back to Fedje with Heather. She's leaving this afternoon. You can spend the time at sea getting to know each other, you can serve as my envoy to sign the trade agreement with Fedje, and you can sound out her parents about the match. Of course, I've never heard of any parents who would refuse a future chief, but you never know." Heather smiled as though she'd already triumphed.

"Well, Dad, if you really think I should, then I guess I have to pack my bags," he said, with absolutely zero enthusiasm.

"Pack for a week," she suggested. "That's how long it takes to get from here to there."

"I'm used to getting anywhere in a couple of hours on Toothless. A week is a long time to be cooped up on a ship," he sighed.

"The time might fly by if we're together," she grinned.

"I suppose it... _wait __a __minute__!_ You said it takes a _week_ to get from Fedje to here?"

"Yes, unless the winds are just right, which almost never happens," she said, puzzled at his sudden enthusiasm.

"Heather, I'm sorry, but you're sailing home without me," he burst out. "Dad... no match. She's not the one." He turned and ran back to the Mead Hall, screaming, "ASTRI-I-I-ID!" at the top of his lungs.

He expected her to still be at the back of the Hall. When she suddenly stepped into the doorway, he plowed right into her, sending both of them to the floor in a tangled heap.

Anitra, sitting at a nearby table, nearly jumped up. "Are they okay?" she asked Fishlegs.

"They're fine, probably," nodded Snotlout. He couldn't actually see them because Misti was sitting in his lap, and her hair was blocking his view. "He's her boyfriend."

"_You_ never greeted _me_ that way!" Ferncookie complained to Tuffnut.

Tuff rose from his bench with a grin. "Go stand in the doorway, and brace yourself."

At the next table, Ruffnut turned to Flinrider. "Take notes. I want to be next!"

Hiccup was the first to regain his senses. "Astrid, go ahead and hit me. You'll feel better, and I have it coming, because I'm the biggest idiot who ever lived."

"Aside from the fact that it's no fun hitting you if you want it, what in the world are you _talking_ about?" she wondered.

"It takes a week to sail from Heather's village to here," he explained.

"Thank you for the geography lesson," she snapped. "Now start talking sense!"

"Astrid, don't you get it?" He helped her to her feet. "Heather got here yesterday, after a seven-day voyage; that means she started her trip eight days ago. Ruff pulled her wishbone _six_ days ago. That means Heather had already been at sea for two days _before_ Ruff made her wish!"

"You mean... the wish _isn't_ what brought her here this week?" she exclaimed, with the first signs of life she'd shown all day.

"Exactly!" he agreed, holding both her hands in his. "She would have come here yesterday even if Ruff had wished for a... a pet troll or something. It was just chance! Coincidence! Luck! Bad luck, in our case.

"She's not perfect for me anyway – she's too manipulative and conniving! I could never totally trust her, and trust is a _lot_ more important to me than a few bruises on my arm. I had the perfect girl all along, and I let that stupid wish take my eyes off of you. That makes _me_ pretty stupid, too.

"So go ahead and hit me for everything I've put you through; I know I deserve it. Just promise me one thing. If Heather _ever_ comes back to Berk, promise me you'll drag me off into the woods and tie me to a tree until she's gone. I don't _ever_ want to go through this, or do this to you, again!"

She siezed him by his shirt, then relaxed her grip, wrapped her arms around him, and pulled him in for a kiss that left him dizzy. Anitra nudged Fishlegs and murmured, "Take notes. I want to be next!" Fishlegs gulped.

"No punch in the arm?" Hiccup asked weakly when Astrid released him.

"I don't want to be too predictable," she purred. "But don't get used to it. I have my ways of keeping you from looking at other girls, and it's time I started using them!"

"I can live with that," he smiled. "But I can't live without you."

"Good," she smiled, and whacked him in the arm. "_That's_ for not figuring all of this out yesterday!"

To her astonishment, he gathered her in his arms and hugged her. "I love you, Astrid," he murmured. "Just the way you are."

"I know," she whispered back. But she couldn't hide her smile.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ruffnut's Wish** Chapter 7 (Epilog)

It was Sunnudagr. (We would call it Sunday.) The town's weekly meeting was tonight. It was usually short; no one likes meetings unless somebody brings coffee and donuts, and the Vikings couldn't grow coffee and had never invented donuts, so they all hated meetings.

Stoick recited the week's total of fish caught, which was the village's lifeline; the news was pretty good for this time of year, even though one boat came back empty near the start of the week. Gobber took a minute to ask people to take it easy on their garden tools – the forge was overflowing with dulled picks, broken rakes, and bent shovels that needed repairs. He also passed on a message from Gothi, requesting that if anyone had any extra dried herbs lying around the house, she needed them to finish the training of her new apprentice.

"Just before we end this meeting," Stoick said, "I have a few legal announcements." That statement was met with yawns and rolled eyes. "First off, we've concluded a trade agreement with the island of Fedje. This will take care of the extra products that our leather-workers and our yarn-spinners have been producing. In return, we'll get some good-quality fabric for clothing, we'll never lack for fishing nets or extra sails again, and, best of all, we'll get some _beef_ in our diet every few weeks!" Everyone applauded politely, with a few scattered cheers.

"There are a few other special contracts that I want to announce before you all. First, I'm pleased to announce the engagement of Ruffnut Thorston to Flinrider of Kelso Island, one of those leather-workers I was just telling you about!" Everyone cheered as the happy couple stood and gave each other a high-five.

"Also engaged this week is Ferncookie of Kelso Island, to our own Tuffnut Thorston!" More applause.

"_Also_ engaged this week is Misti Reese, to my nephew Snotlout, son of Spitelout! His father left this morning for a three-week round trip to make the arrangements – the boy and girl went on ahead by dragon so her parents wouldn't worry about her – but we can congratulate them when they return." Again, all the Vikings applauded.

"And a fourth engagement! Anitra Bjorndottir, another visitor to Berk, is now betrothed to Fishlegs Ingerman! His father, like Snotlout's father, is at sea, on his way to finalizing the arrangements." Anitra and Fishlegs stood, somewhat embarrassed, and nodded to the crowd. Amidst the cheers, Gothi got Gobber's attention and scratched something on the floor with her staff. The smith stood.

"Ladies an' Vikings, Gothi has just informed me that four engagements in one week was th' tribal record for this part o' the Northland. We tied th' record! Maybe they'll write a saga about us!" That brought some real cheering. Stoick just smiled.

"No, we didn't tie the record!" he boomed, stunning everyone into silence. "We _broke_ it! Thanks to some quiet negotiating I did with Gunnarr Hofferson this morning, I'm _especially_ pleased to announce the engagement of his daughter, Astrid, to my son Hiccup!" That brought the loudest cheers of all, mostly for the record-breaking part.

As everyone congratulated the happy couples and pounded them on the back, Hiccup made his way to where Astrid waited with her family. She looked a bit angry for some reason, so he approached her cautiously.

"When did _you_ find out about this?" she demanded.

"Just now, the same as you," he said hesitantly. "I wasn't keeping any secrets from you."

"Good," she smiled, and hugged him tighter than he'd ever been hugged before. She'd never admit it to anyone (except Hiccup, of course), but she was as thrilled by this development as he was. She'd caught him at last!

When she released him, she noticed him trying to catch his breath. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned.

"I will be, now that we're finally engaged," he smiled, "but for a second there, I thought you were going to break my breastbone."

"I can't promise I'll never whack you in the arm again, especially if you really need it," Astrid said solemnly, "but I'll promise you this: from now on, I'll be more gentle with the hugs.

"The _last_ thing I want is another broken wishbone!"

_THE END_


End file.
